Market Entry Strategy Development for Laundry Care, Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements in Europe
Situation
Our client had several consumer goods brands marketed in the US that they were looking to evaluate for potential expansion into Europe, specifically within the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Objective
The objective was to evaluate and define the plan for the launch of a sustainable business in the vitamins & supplements and laundry care categories. The goal was to assess the client’s current strategy and capabilities, combined with the external market perspective, to define market entry and brand positioning recommendations.
Our Work
- Internal Strategy Assessment: 1OEQS conducted interviews with internal stakeholders and local commercial teams to understand current strategy, capabilities, sales & marketing approaches.
- External Market Assessment: 10EQS assessed the market landscape and dynamics for both categories in the target regions, including addressable market, growth, headwinds, regulatory considerations, and pricing trends. 10EQS further assessed the competitive landscape, evaluating how competitors’ products compare and which channel they use. 10EQS explored how customers (retailers) perceive various brands within the categories and what their selection process looks like. 10EQS also conducted a consumer survey to define consumer segments & preferences, important claims, price sensitivity, role of brand in purchase decisions, and perceived gaps/unmet needs.
- Business Case Development: 10EQS outlined opportunities for each target market and provided recommendations for the client’s market entry strategy based on their capabilities and existing portfolio.
Project Team
- Ex-McKinsey Management Consultant with extensive experience in business strategy & consumer goods
- Ex-Accenture Strategy Consultant with extensive experience in brand and growth strategy
- Associate Consultants conducting secondary research and survey analysis
- 10EQS Delivery Operations (=PMO) providing quality assurance, process management and expert recruitment
- 600 consumer survey respondents
- 18 industry experts
- 5 internal stakeholder sessions with local teams (UK/FR/DE) and international marketing (US)
Survey Respondents
- Regular Health Supplement Users (n=300)
- Regular Home/Laundry Care Users (n=300)
- Geography: Germany, France, UK
Industry Experts (sample)
- Senior Buying Manager for Wellness, Healthcare – Retail Company (United Kingdom)
- Senior International Category Manager – Global E-commerce Company (Germany)
- Global Procurement Director– Multi-national Retail Group (France)
- Global CTI Manager, Laundry – Multi-national Consumer Goods Company (United Kingdom)
- Senior Innovation Manager for Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements – Biopharmaceutical Manufacturer (Germany)
- Senior R&D and Innovation Manager, FMCG & Consumer Healthcare – Multi-national Consumer Goods Company (France)
- Buying Manager, Health & Household – Retail Company (United Kingdom)
Results
For both categories and specifically for each country, 10EQS defined critical success factors on how to win in each market, as well as recommendations for the route-to-market, branding, pricing, packaging, reformulation, and potential acquisition targets.
- 10EQS found that vitamins & supplements are a sizable and growing category in Europe and further identified the fastest-growing format. 10EQS defined two scenarios leading to a profitable business opportunity in Europe, focusing on the product range to be offered in each country, which market to prioritize, and M&A targets to consider.
- For laundry care, 10EQS found that this is a generally stable category in Europe, characterized by high margins. 10EQS defined recommendations for the client to position themselves against high competition in this market and address consumer preferences and purchasing drivers such as efficacy and convenience.